How to Leverage Social Media for Fundraising 

I have been blessed to have many of my friends and family use social media over the years and this has really helped my fundraising cause. I’m going to share some of my tips and tricks for using social media to help your fundraising.

First, I would encourage you to get a domain from GoDaddy to link your fundraising page to a website name you create. This could be something catchy and it’s going to be smaller than your PledgeReg URL. I have created mine and it is www.therunningdad11.com. I put this URL in all of my fundraising posts.

Second, I try to really take advantage of matching opportunities. I really post a lot during Giving Tuesday and also tell people to check with their employers about donation matching. This allows people to feel like their dollar is going further than they thought it could. I will post several posts throughout the day on social media talking about the cause. I make sure I don’t ask for money, but tell people the cause their money is going to when they donate. Each time I get a donation, I also make sure I thank the person who gave the donation. I will even make sure I thank the anonymous donors. I add them in at the end of the post by saying, “Thank you to the various anonymous donors that donated today.”

Third, I try to make sure everyone is very aware of my goal and I set interim goals as well. I will tell people if I raise $XXX.XX by this time of day, I will do this. Last year, I said I would run a race in a tutu if I met my goal. This year, I said I would run a race dressed as our school librarian. Each year, my friends and family helped me crush my goal. I make sure to post several times a day giving updates where I am toward reaching my goal. When someone hears how close you are to your goal, they are likely to want to be the person to get you passed your goal. It is really cool to see how many people care about you and want to see you succeed. 

Lastly, you have to do what is comfortable for you! I am comfortable using twitter, facebook, and Instagram. Not everyone is, and that is perfectly okay. I’m good with posting live updates and letting people see me. Other people might only want to post once or twice because they are hesitant to ask for money and that makes sense too! In the day and age with social media, the way it is, it is a great tool to reach as many people as possible. You may even be surprised that your friends will share your post and it will reach their friends.

Do what works for you, have fun, and happy fundraising! -Robert Gantz

A bit more about Robert 

Robert is an avid runner, and new to the ultrarunning scene.  He is married to his wife Meghan and have 2 kids, Sebastian and Sophia.  Robert is retired from the Air Force and now teaches first grade to a group of 19, 6 and 7 year olds. "It is a blast and I've always wanted to be a teacher. I can't wait to cross the VT100 finish line!"  Robert's enthusiasm and spirit are a bright light to our team.  We are super grateful for his love of Vermont Adaptive and all he does for the cause and the team. Go get that buckle Rob!